Handbook for on board Handling of Fresh Fish

Introduction

This Handbook describes general procedures and principles to be followed for consistently achieving good practice standards on board Pilbara fishing vessels to meet the requirements of discriminating buyers and consumers.

Developed after some work at sea and in consultation with fishermen and fish merchants from this fishery, the Handbook outlines procedures in the harvesting, chilling and packing of fish. By adopting these simple procedures, crew will be able to consistently improve freshness, shelf life and value of their fish catch.

The Handbook is not a detailed prescriptive manual setting out exactly how each task should be carried out because there is usually more than one way to safely and efficiently undertake any particular activity. Each trawler has different facilities and staffing and therefore needs to individually select the most appropriate manner and/or equipment to undertake each task and consistently maintain good practices while complying with all relevant food and hygiene standards.

This Handbook provides a checklist for typical operational practices on existing converted prawn trawlers using brine tanks on deck and limited ice making facilities. New vessels may need to adopt different practices according to their own ice and mechanical refrigeration capacities.

Although adoption of these guidelines is not mandatory, it is recommended by the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC), Department of Fisheries, Western Australia (the State department responsible for managing the fishery) and its Seafood Quality Management Initiative (SQMI).

The ability and willingness of fishermen to follow these simple but important procedures to improve the quality of their catch will directly influence the financial returns to each boat and crew member.